DJ Cobra has not been very active on the local dancehall circuit, but that’s not because he isn’t in demand – far from it, the artiste is just selective of the events on which he performs these days.
“I choose the promoters I work with,” he told Splash as he pointed out his disappointment with the way stage shows were conducted now.
“It’s not professionally done, the whole heap of bomb rushing of the stage,” Cobra pointed out as he went on to explain that it’s actually a deterrent when ‘hype artistes’ who are billed for the show go on before their time, then to add insult to injury they call up every young acts in their camp and by the time they are through the crowd isn’t interested or is just too tired to see any other act.
For this reason the DJ has taken the deliberate approach to withdraw himself from such shows.
Cobra, who has a passion for the business, dreams of the day when promoters and artistes will adopt a more professional attitude. As he says, where dancehall is concerned “The sky is the limit. The problem is the new acts, they believe in the hype,” he stressed.
Cobra might be disillusioned about a few things in the dancehall but where his career is concerned he is very much focused on taking it even higher.
He has just completed his new album Helter Skelta a follow up to his 2006 release Sniper Way. According to Cobra, the overwhelming response to the album prompted him to do this one.
“It got some mad reaction. People were asking, ‘when are you going to do another one like this?” Cobra told Splash. Helter Skelta is definitely not for children or ‘the pure of hearts’.
“It’s uncut, raw – a street album,” the DJ said, adding that it will be hitting the streets any day now. On the album Cobra has done some comllaborations with established acts such as Spice and Demarco. The album also features upcoming artistes out of Spanish Town Big Beast and Sandy Starr.
While Helter Skelta is for the streets, Cobra has a nice musical treat lined up for lovers of good conscious music.
By March 2009, he will have another album out entitled The Other Side of the Coin which he says will have nothing but “conscious love songs”. This album, he says, will reflect the smoother side of him.
“It will definitely be something that everyone can enjoy,” Cobra informed with a smile.
One of the more popular dancehall DJs of the ’90s, Ewart Brown aka Cobra was the first reggae artiste to top the Billboard rap singles chart. He initially made his name with a series of tough, hard-hitting singles aimed at the hardcore crowd, filling his lyrics with the requisite slackness and gun talk. However, it in 1992 that he acheived international success with the single Flex. Not only did it top the rap singles chart, it reached the Top Ten on the R&B charts, and nearly did likewise on the pop listings.
Music is not the only thing occupying this DJ’s time at the moment as he is now doing a video production course at CPTC. “I plan on owning a video editing company,” he explained, adding that this training is a part of fulfilling his dream.
Source: JamaicaObserver
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